Y U NO JS ACTIVATED? JAVASCRIPT DISABLEDWe get it. We often have problems with Javascript ourselves. We also congratulate you on your choice to view the Web safely by turning off scripting. However, to view, navigate, and use this site properly, you must enable Javascript. Otherwise, your experience here will be lacking. (Gets down from soap box.)

But we found it interesting that the primary revenue source for most all of these blacked-out websites is advertising or donations based upon the content of others. And that got us thinking...

Why is THIS the first time that internet powerhouses like Google, Wikipedia, Mozilla, Flickr, 4Chan, and Reddit have protested bad policy decisions by the government? Where were these powerhouses when NDAA was being passed, or while Guantanamo remained open with people being tortured, or when the CIA was kidnapping and "renditioning" innocent victims around the world, or when the highest government officials were openly sanctioning torture, or when the US military was bombing the hell out of innocent civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, or when non-violent protesters were being arrested and tased, or when children were being sexually assaulted by the TSA, or when our tax dollars were being used to bailout banks while so many remained unemployed, or when people were losing their homes from destructive government policies, or when divorce judges were removing good parents out of their children's lives, or when the media was being censored and controlled to cover-up government wrongs, or when the government was setting up so-called Free Speech Zones, or when the government was lying about WMDs in order to take us to war, or when people were being arrested for filming police, or when agent provocateurs were inciting violence, or when people were being arrested for blowing the whistle on government corruption, or when very sick patients were being prevented from getting the medicines they needed, or when the US Supreme Court was sanctioning taking private property from homeowners to give to corporations...

But then it hit us. In his famous statement "First they came," Pastor Martin Niemöller once blasted the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power as they purged group after group:

THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for me

and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Who do you think the government is coming for next? Isn't it time for you to protest? What do you think about internet companies going dark to protest against the government? Should companies be using their power against more destructive governmental policies? Since Hollywood hates freedom, should we be protesting Hollywood?

We all admire beauty, but the mind ultimately must be stimulated for maximum arousal. Longevity in relationships cannot occur without a meeting of the minds. And that is what Braincrave is: a dating venue where minds meet. Learn about the thoughts of your potential match on deeper topics... topics that spawn your own insights around what you think, the choices you make, and the actions you take.

We are a community of men and women who seek beauty and stimulation through our minds. We find ideas, education, and self-improvement sexy. We think intelligence is hot. But Braincrave is more than brains and I.Q. alone. We are curious. We have common sense. We value and offer wisdom. We experiment. We have great imaginations. We devour literacy. We are intellectually honest. We support and encourage each other to be better.

The Braincrave.com discussion group on Second Life was a twice-daily intellectual group discussions typically held at 12:00 PM SLT (PST) and 7:00 PM SLT. The discussions took place in Second Life group chat but are no longer formally scheduled or managed. The daily articles were used to encourage the discussions.